this has been permitted for security, that we may always be sober, that even if we seem to do any good work, we may always consider it a gift from above, that we may never in any way become arrogant, that if we are tripped up in anything by the evil one, we may not despair, but may run immediately to repentance and tears and contrition of heart and divine assistance, not delaying for a moment. When Matthew says: before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times, he is alluding to the first cock-crow, that is, the whole of it. Therefore he says, before this is completed, that is, the whole cock-crow, you will deny me three times. But when Mark says: before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times, he is referring to the crows contained in the whole of the first cock-crow, and he says that before the two individual crows have passed, you will deny me a third time; for the whole cock-crow has three and four and more crows, so that the evangelists are rather in agreement with each other. 93 Mt 26,45 46 The phrase, Sleep on now and take your rest, was not of one permitting, but of one reproaching, as if to say, are you still sleeping and taking your rest, and not yet rising, nor do you perceive that the one who betrays me is at hand, and did you not promise to die with me for my sake? 94 Mt 27,51 The veil of the temple was torn, signifying that the things unseen by all except the priests and untouchable were now becoming visible and touchable to all; for with the new covenant shining to the ends of the world and the Mosaic worship ceasing, the so-called holy of holies, which happened to be unseen and untouchable, has become visible and touchable to all, not only to the Jews, but also to the very gentiles and bitterest enemies, when the temple itself was also handed over for plunder and spoils to those who sacked Jerusalem. The veil of the temple was torn and the unseen things were seen. This signifies that the new covenant would spread throughout the entire world and the Mosaic worship would cease and the holy of holies would become visible and accessible to all. 95 Mt 28, 18 19 The phrase, All authority has been given to me, indicates this: the things of human poverty have ceased; no longer toils and pains and plots and withdrawals and betrayal and slaps; for though I have not put off human nature, yet I have put off all human passions, and henceforth I openly show the authority and dignity of the divinity, by which I will be known even more as Lord and creator of heaven and of earth, as you preach and make disciples of all the nations the truth. Or one might also take the meaning this way: I had authority over heaven before, and I had it over the earth; for I was creator and master of all. But now another authority has been added and given to me through the economy. What is this? The dominion and power which I receive through the salvation of those who believe and are saved; for since before the incarnation of the Lord, the human race was under the tyranny and slavery of the devil and was shaking off the Lord's authority, pushing aside his commandments, but submitting to the tyrant's orders, and honored the robber with sacrifices and idols, but did not recognize its own master and creator, having therefore overthrown the tyrant of this tyranny through the incarnation and the works and the passion and the cross and the resurrection, and having transferred to himself the entire worship and service and obedience of his creation, he said very appropriately and most truly: All authority has been given in heaven and on earth; for he had authority over the creation before as its maker and creator, but he has acquired by his own toils and death and cross what the tyrant formerly had over it. Therefore he also says, all authority, that is, in addition to what I had before, I have also taken what was lacking and now I have all, both that which I had as creator and that which I have acquired as savior and redeemer, being worshipped by them, having transferred all creation to my worship and service. And the phrase in heaven and on earth, since of those who worship
ἀσφάλειαν τοῦτο παρακεχώρηται, ἵνα ἀεὶ νήφωμεν, ἵνα ἀεὶ κἄν τι δοκῶμεν ἀγαθοεργεῖν, τῆς ἄνωθεν αὐτὸ δωρεᾶς ἡγώμεθα, ἵνα μηδέποτε ἐν μηδενὶ ἀπαυθαδιαζώμεθα, ἵνα ἂν ὑπὸ τοῦ πο νηροῦ σκελισθῶμεν ἔν τινι, μὴ ἀπογνῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν μετάνοιαν καὶ τὰ δάκρυα καὶ τὸν τῆς καρδίας συντριμμὸν καὶ τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν εὐθέως τρέχωμεν μηδ' ἐπὶ βραχὺ ἀναβαλλόμενοι. Ὅταν ὁ Ματθαῖος λέγῃ· πρὶν ἀλέκτορα φωνῆσαι τρὶς ἀπαρνήσῃ με, τὴν πρώτην ἀλεκτοροφωνίαν αἰνίττεται τὴν ὅλην δηλονότι. διὸ καί φησιν πρὶν αὕτη ἀπαρτισθῇ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἡ ὅλη ἀλεκτοροφωνία, τρὶς ἀπαρνήσῃ με. ὅταν δὲ ὁ Μᾶρκος λέγῃ· πρὶν ἢ δὶς ἀλέκτορα φωνῆσαι τρὶς ἀπαρνήσῃ με , τὰς ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ πρώτῃ ἀλεκτοροφωνίᾳ περιεχομένας φωνήσεις δηλοῖ καί φησιν, ὅτι πρὶν τὰς δύο τὰς κατὰ μέρος φωνήσεις παρελθεῖν, τρίτον ἀπαρνήσῃ με· ἡ γὰρ ὅλη ἀλεκτοροφωνία τρεῖς καὶ τέσσαρας καὶ πλείους ἔχει φωνήσεις, ὥστε συμφωνοῦσιν μᾶλλον ἀλλήλοις οἱ εὐαγγελισταί. 93 Mt 26,45 46 Τὸ καθεύδετε λοιπὸν καὶ ἀναπαύεσθε οὐκ ἐπιτρέποντος ἦν, ἀλλ' ὀνειδίζοντος, οἷον ἔτι νῦν καθεύδετε καὶ ἀναπαύεσθε καὶ οὔπω ἀνίστασθε οὐδὲ τοῦ παραδιδόντος ἐφεστηκότος αἰσθάνεσθε καὶ οὐ συναποθνῄσκειν ὑπέσχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ; 94 Mt 27,51 Ἐσχίσθη τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ τὰ ἀθέατα πᾶσιν πλὴν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν καὶ ἄψαυστα θεατὰ πᾶσιν ἤδη καὶ ψαυστὰ μηνῦον γινόμενα· τῆς γὰρ καινῆς διαθήκης εἰς τὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης πέρατα διαλαμπούσης καὶ τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας παυομένης καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων λεγόμενα, ἅτινα ἀθέατα καὶ ἄψαυστα ἐτύγχανεν, πᾶσιν θεατὰ καὶ ψαυστὰ γεγόνασιν, οὐ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις καὶ πολεμιωτάτοις, ὅτε καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ναὸς εἰς προνομὴν καὶ σκῦλα παρεδόθη τοῖς ἐκπολιορκήσασιν τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ. Ἐσχίσθη τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ ὤφθησαν τὰ ἀθέατα. τοῦτο σημαῖνον τὸ τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διαδραμεῖν καὶ τὴν νομικὴν λατρείαν ἀργῆσαι καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων πᾶσι θεατὰ καὶ βάσιμα γεγονέναι. 95 Mt 28, 18 19 Τὸ ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία τοῦτο δηλοῖ· ἔπαυσεν τὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης πτωχείας· οὐκέτι κόποι καὶ πόνοι καὶ ἐπιβουλαὶ καὶ ὑποστολαὶ καὶ προδοσία καὶ ῥαπτίσματα· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν οὐκ ἀπεθέμην, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πάθη πάντα ἀπεθέμην καὶ λοιπὸν ἀπαρακαλύπτως ἐκφαίνω τὴν τῆς θεότητος ἐξουσίαν καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα, δι' ἧς καὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς δεσπότης καὶ δημιουργὸς ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπιγνωσθήσομαι κηρυττόντων ὑμῶν καὶ μαθητευόντων πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ἢ καὶ οὕτως· ἄν τις ἐκλάβοι τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅτι τοῦ μὲν οὐρανοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ πρὶν εἶχον, εἶχον δὲ καὶ τῆς γῆς· ποιητὴς γὰρ καὶ δεσπότης ἁπάντων ὑπῆρχον. νῦν δὲ καὶ ἄλλη μοι προσετέθη καὶ ἐδόθη διὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐξουσία. ποία αὕτη; τὸ κῦρος καὶ κράτος, ὃ διὰ τῆς τῶν πιστευόντων καὶ σῳζομένων προσλαμβάνω σωτηρίας· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ δεσπότου ὑπὸ τυραννίδα καὶ δουλείαν ἐτέλει τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ ἀνθρώπινον καὶ τὴν δεσποτικὴν ἐξουσίαν ἀπεσείετο τὰς μὲν αὐτοῦ παρωθούμενον ἐντολάς, ταῖς τοῦ τυράννου δὲ ὑποκύπτον προσταγαῖς, καὶ θυσίαις μὲν καὶ εἰδώλοις ἐγέραιρε τὸν λῃστήν, τὸν δὲ ἴδιον οὐκ ἐπεγίνωσκε δεσπότην καὶ ποιητήν, ταύτης οὖν τῆς τυραννίδος τὸν τύραννον διὰ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καὶ τῶν ἔργων καὶ τοῦ πάθους καὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως καθελὼν καὶ ὅλην εἰς ἑαυτὸν τοῦ πλάσματος μεταστήσας τὴν προσκύνησιν καὶ λατρείαν καὶ ὑπακοὴν λίαν οἰκείως ἔφη καὶ παναληθῶς· ἐδόθη πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς· εἶχεν μὲν γὰρ καὶ πρὶν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πλάσματος ὡς πλάστης καὶ δημιουργός, προσείληφεν δὲ πόνοις οἰκείοις καὶ θανάτῳ καὶ σταυρῷ καὶ ἣν εἶχεν πρότερον ὁ τύραννος κατ' αὐτοῦ. διὸ καὶ πᾶσα, φησίν, ἐξουσία, τοῦτ' ἔστιν πρὸς ἣν πρότερον εἶχον καὶ τὴν λείπουσαν προσελαβόμην καὶ νῦν ἔχω πᾶσαν, ἥν τε ὡς πλάστης εἶχον καὶ ἣν ὡς σωτὴρ καὶ λυτρωτὴς καὶ λατρευόμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν προσελαβόμην πᾶν τὸ πλάσμα εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν προσκύνησιν καὶ λατρείαν μεταγαγών. τὸ δὲ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, ἐπειδὴ τῶν λατρευόντων